Industrialize
by Jimmy the Gothic Egg
Summary: AU. The Fire Nation meets their biggest foe: teenagers.
1. Freedom Fighters

There is this absolutely _amazing_ picture that I will post a link to on my profile. It inspired me to write fanfiction, especially since I'd been wanting to do a modern-Avatar thing for a while. I started one, but I decided it sucked from the beginning, so here I am giving it a second try.

I gotta warn you, this is kind of a futuristic version of Avatar. If you're against pulling them into the modern times (and normally I am, but that's only for "OMG they go to high school and stuffs" fics), **I'd suggest turning away now.**

Also, title not promised to be the final version. I just can't seem to think up the perfect one yet.

_Industrialize_

**Chapter One: Freedom Fighters**

Somewhere, off in the distance, a clock chimed eight times.

As if signaling something important, a hush fell over the normally busy streets. Lanterns flickered to life as the sun finally descending beneath the horizon, and the lamplight fell wickedly over the tough concrete. No one would be out but soldiers; no one would be stupid enough to be out.

Katara, apparently, was stupid enough.

She hummed to herself and wished she hadn't taken that extra few minutes at the library. Was a measly term paper more important than getting home before dark? Now she would probably be jailed because her house was five feet away and she took five minutes to leave. No one would really notice the young girl dodging the lamplight as if it would give off an alarm to her presence, or they wouldn't have, if she hadn't been wearing bright blue. In the grim streets, she would be the thing that stood out.

Sure enough, out of the corner of her eyes, she saw soldiers approach. She remembered reading a long time ago, they wore heavy chest plates and skull-like masks, but now they were dressed in red uniforms and helmets, boots thudding against the ground.

Katara walked a little bit faster.

Someone grabbed her arm, and she twisted around, ready to attack whoever had a hold of her. A soldier leered down at her, and her eyes went wide.

"It's after curfew," he grinned. "Too bad for a girl like you."

Her eyes narrowed, but she kept calm. "I was just getting home. I'm only a block away."

"I'll walk you there then," the soldier said. "Don't want you to get into any trouble."

"Of course not," she murmured. "Would you mind, please, letting go of me?"

The soldier complied. She turned around to start walking, very much aware at how close the soldier was keeping. She was more than ready to make a run for it, but he would chase her and probably catch up, and then things could get much worse.

Still… if she cut through a yard or two, she might be able to reach her home before he reached her. She could see her usual escape route when she was in a hurry between two hedges and someone's pool. A glance to the soldier told her he wouldn't be expecting it.

Katara turned and ran.

"Hey!" the soldier called, but she was already through the hedges.

_This better work,_ she thought to herself, swinging over the gate. She could hear more than one man running behind her, and she held her breath as she stared down the fork in the alleyway. Right led home.

Katara went left.

The soldiers were not far behind her now. They were trained for this running thing. Katara didn't do it often enough. Still, her after school activity involved swimming, so she managed to keep a few yards ahead.

Suddenly, she tripped.

Her cheek slammed against the concrete, and somewhere, a bone made a noise it should not make. She screamed in pain, slowly attempting to stand up. The dead end was only ten feet away at best, but she didn't know she could make it before the soldiers caught up.

A shadow fell over Katara, and she dared to look up. There was someone between herself and the soldiers now, someone wielding a large club who looked ready to fight.

"Sokka!" she exclaimed, recognizing her brother's form.

The boy grinned at her. "Now would be a good time to run."

Katara wasn't going to argue.

She managed to make her way to the end of the alleyway and gave a long whistle. Another shadow had joined her brother's, and she smiled as she recognized Toph's stance.

Someone dropped down beside her. "Hiya, Katara!" Aang said.

Katara smiled at him, grabbing onto his hand as he pulled her up along side the building. "About time! I thought I was going to get killed."

The young boy laughed. "Sokka was following you the entire time. I was afraid he was going to ruin it."

"I could've handled myself," she scoffed. She sat down on the ground, rubbing the side of her face. "Except I think I busted my knee."

Aang took a long glance at the two teenagers who were standing down the oncoming guards. She sighed. "I'll be fine. Go join 'em."

Two seconds later, Aang was scaling the wall, standing in line with his friends. Katara got ready to sit back and enjoy the fight.

---

Toph steadied her footing, a wide smile stretching over her face. Even in the dark she wore sunglasses she'd painted dark green, but it wasn't like she needed to see. Beside her Sokka held out his dark blue cricket bat, something he'd found exceptionally well for hitting things, especially human skulls. Aang had nothing to fight with, but he was awfully good with it.

"How's Katara?" Sokka asked quietly, being the big brother he was.

"She'll be fine," Aang answered. "Might need a few bandages."

"Too bad," Toph said. "Now it's just going to be work."

The soldiers stopped, staring at the trio. They were no longer amused.

"Move out of the way or we'll arrest you all," the one in the front said.

Sokka brandished his bat. "See, that's not gonna work for us. Especially after what you were going to do with my sister."

The solider nodded, and two more flanked him, reaching out to the grab them. Instantly, Toph and Aang hit them hard, and they crumpled back. Sokka cracked his bat against the first soldier's neck, and he shouted, falling to the ground.

"This is too easy," Toph said loudly. "Give me a real challenge."

The two remaining soldiers smiled as they held out their fists. The trio stood confused, until the realization came a moment too late. They could barely dodge the flames as they spiraled forward. Sokka knocked Toph down, who cried out in protest; Aang flattened himself against the wall, eyes widening at the two soldiers.

They were benders.

**Notes:**

I was going to keep it going, but I couldn't find a good stopping point after that.

There's an explanation in the next chapter as to why this is so amazing.

I wasn't going to add in Aang in the first chapter. I was going to do something else with him. But this is much easier, and I don't think I could do the other thing so well.

I'm kind of proud of this. But with all the other stories I've got swimming around, I don't think I can get too attached.

Oh, and as to the finale:

KAHGJAHUGHAKJAT!!!


	2. Everyday Disasters

_Industrialize_

**Chapter Two: Everyday Disasters**

Katara sucked in a breath.

Bending was such a lost art. Today, it was practically unheard of! When the war started centuries ago, supposedly the nations were divided so that they were purely earth, water, fire, and earth. But since then they'd intermingled so it hadn't ever mattered. The last time someone had seen a master bender, the Fire Nation was still just a crescent of islands.

But Fire Nation soldiers had bending abilities! They'd just shot flame from nowhere at her friends!

Katara winced as she tried to stand on her leg. She gazed at the rooftops, trying to decide just what to do. Her friends were quite literally toast.

Then, she smiled.

Even if they were benders, didn't mean they were the only ones.

---

Sokka helped Toph up, the confidence he'd had slowly melting away.

"What do we do now?" he whispered. He shot a glance at Aang, who was frozen to the spot. The two soldiers smiled.

"You can come with us," one of them said. "Maybe we won't be so harsh."

Toph sneered, straightening herself. Her toes wiggled inside her shoes, and she took in a breath. She lightly pushed Sokka back.

"I wouldn't feel so special," she shouted, and punched the air.

The ground rose up, knocking the soldiers flat. They were thrown back, and the block of concrete and earth crashed back into the ground. Toph stamped her foot and the ground swelled, and then plummeted back, landing the soldiers in a small hole. She made a sliding motion, and the earth closed over them.

For a minute, there was only silence but for the muffled shouts of the soldiers. Sokka let out a low whistle.

"About time you used that bending for something useful," he said. Toph frowned and tilted her head back as she slid her foot a bit. Sokka fell back, finding the earth moving beneath him.

"What was that, Sokka?" she called. "Something about me being useless? Or did I mishear?"

Sokka only groaned as his answer, and she smirked. Aang bounced around excitedly.

"That was awesome!" he shouted. "We rock!"

"That's one way of putting it," Katara said as she climbed back to ground level. She winced as she landed.

"How's your leg, Sugar Queen?"

She glanced down at it. "I think I'll live another day."

"It looks pretty bad," Sokka said. "Let's get you home."

Katara pushed him off, standing straight. "I'm _fine_. I—_ow_…" She'd taken a step. It hurt like hell.

"Come on," he said, and she reluctantly leant on him.

Aang stopped over the caged hole Toph had created for the firebenders. "Shouldn't we let them out?" he asked.

There was a pause from his friends, all of whom looked happier to just leave them. Toph made a shooing motion to Katara and Sokka, who shrugged and continued on. She them seemed to grip the air and pulled back. Aang came sliding forward as the hole reopened.

"Can we go _now_?" she shouted.

Aang grinned.

---

Zuko yawned into his hand, wishing Azula hadn't made the coffee this morning. First, she couldn't boil water without hurting someone else, and second, she was the one who had made it, which told him to not even touch the mug. Barely awake, he'd decided, was better than being exploded, or, that's what he'd thought until he'd come in for his private lessons like he did everyday and found himself unable to stay awake. At least exploded he'd be somewhat more alert.

He was supposed to be breathing. Well, by nature he did that anyway, but the breathing was very specific. Azula had mastered breathing already. He was still curious as to how he was supposed to master something everyone already knew how to do, but if he'd asked that, all he would've gotten were strange looks and Azula's smirk. So here he was: learning how to breathe.

"Concentrate," his instructor said, breathing like a pro.

Zuko closed his eyes and attempted to do as such. But, damn. It was seven in the morning, and a cool breeze was blowing through. The sun had just risen, warming up the grass still wet and…

"Ow!"

Zuko had received a sharp slap from his instructor. He rubbed his head, glaring at him.

"No dozing off," he said. "How can you master firebending if you can't even master breathing?"

Deep down to the real issue, Zuko sighed. He was pure Fire Nation, according to his father, who'd managed to trace the family lineage back to Fire Lord Suzon. He was supposed to take pride in this, and he did, honest. He just didn't feel the need to brag about it. None of his friends traced their family history that far back… You know, if he had friends.

The warning bell rang, and Zuko jumped up, glancing at the time. He was going to be late for first period. With a sigh, the instructor waved him away, and he set off to class.

Inevitably, though, he would be late, and by all accounts, it would be Katara's fault.

---

Katara didn't think she looked good in red. If anything, it clashed with her eyes. It was required at her school, though, to wear the uniforms, which consisted of a white button up top and a red skirt. On the breast pocket of the shirt was the Fire Nation emblem. Her necklace looked entirely out of place.

The necklace was her mother's, who had perished many years ago. Katara had worn it since the day she'd died, and felt naked whenever it was removed from her neck. The clasp was broken. She didn't know this, and the necklace had yet to find an opportunity to point it out.

The warning bell had already rung, she knew it. Sokka had left early this morning because of some sort of sport she was sure he was in, which left her with no alternative but to walk to school. Twenty minutes later, half-groomed and a PopTart crammed into her bag, Katara was hurtling through the front doors. She could make it! She wouldn't get detention after all!

Seeing this, Murphy's Law realized it wasn't doing its job, and sent her careening into Zuko.

The scene is slightly confusing unless analyzed step-by-step:

Katara sees the hallway her class resides in, and turns sharply, giving no turn signal. Zuko is jogging straight beside the lockers, merely because his body drifts him that way. Katara rounds the corner and realizes she should have pulled a wider turn.

Zuko sees a body in his way, and attempts to move out of the way. At the same time, Katara goes for the wider turn, and they realize they are headed on the same path. She tries to swing back to her previous path, gets her feet tangled, and trips.

Bodies collide. Books fall. The late bell rings.

Katara landed with her legs twisted around someone else's. Her knee began to ache, and she gritted her teeth in pain. The someone else she'd tangled into said something to the affect of "ow" with a few more curse words involved. She would like to agree with the statement, if not for the onset of rage.

"What the hell?" she snapped. She added a "Get off of me!" before pushing the boy off herself.

"Soo-_rry_," the boy shouted back, getting to his feet. He ended up crushing a few papers, which Katara snatched up and pushed him away.

They weren't hers. She gave a frustrated noise and began gathering up all her books. "_Great_," she said. "Now you've made me late. Third tardy, and now I have a detention. That is fantastic."

The boy was not listening. He was stuffing the papers she discarded into his bag. Feeling satisfied, he glanced over his things and walked away.

Katara scrunched her homework together, shouting after him. "No! It's okay! Not like I'd like _help_ or anything!"

The boy kept moving, and she considered going after him, just to knock some sense into him. Her class, however, was waiting, and maybe if she explained things, she wouldn't get that third tardy.

The plan, of course, would fail, and it would be ultimately unfair. The real problem was Katara wouldn't notice her missing necklace until third period, and by that time, it would be too late.

**Notes:**

Hot damn, I've finished a chapter.

Zuko's been introduced, which is good, I guess. He'll be important later, when Katara needs herself a man… Or not. You know, whatever. This story _does_ have a real plot. Shocking, ain't it?

Once again, no real update pattern for this story. I was just flipping through what I had written, what I had updated, and realized some of these I would really like to see move along.

And, in case anybody cares, I got me the third installment of the _Faerie Wars_ series. That is what I'll be doing for the next twelve hours.


End file.
